FNM: Glimpses
by LadyV77
Summary: One shots connected to the world of my story Fluctuat Nec Mergitur. Contains Sparky, OC heavy. Rated for violence, language, themes. Part 6: the Escape from Atlantis.
1. Baby Girl Sheppard

**Introduction****:** This collection of drabbles and one shots will consist mainly of glimpses (hence the title) of Nycole's (or Ben's or Marion's) life before the trio time-traveled in an effort to save Atlantis as seen in my story Fluctuat Nec Mergitur (hereafter referred to as FNM). Some of them were intended to be included in that story in flashback form, but were left out when the story threatened to become entirely too long and involved.

Some of them will be alternate universe stories as well (like maybe how a certain scene from FNM would have changed if other people had survived the attack on Atlantis or how an episode would have changed if Nyc had come back in Season 1 or 2, etc.).

I will also take suggestions for things people would like to see, though I don't guarantee that I'll get to them all. This collection will be updated even more randomly than my fics usually are (which is bad enough) due to its nature… unless people keep me supplied with usable ideas.

If you have a suggestion, please PM me so as not to spoil others on what may be coming… I will of course give credit for ideas where it is due.

**Reading Key****:** Thoughts and emphasis are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

Any continuity info will be found at the top of each "chapter."

**Disclaimer****:** I do not own Stargate Atlantis or its characters and worlds. They are the property of MGM Television, SciFi Channel and others. I mean no infringement or disrespect (if I didn't love the fandom I certainly wouldn't waste my time writing in it), nor am I making any monetary gain from my efforts.

I do, however, own Nycole, Ben, Marion and many other original characters that may appear, as well as the world Prizax and others that may be noted. No touchie!

"**Chapter" Summary****:** A short, somewhat silly bit of fluff opening to the series in which the Sheppards search for a name for the soon-to-arrive bundle of joy. Canon to FNM, takes place about two years after the altered events of "McKay and Mrs. Miller" which led to Atlantis being cut off from Earth and twenty-eight or so years before the events of FNM.

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**Glimpse 1: Baby Girl Sheppard**

"Desiree," John Sheppard suggested to his wife.

He had his laptop open and set on a pillow on his legs. She sat on the bed beside him, going over a report from one of their off-world trading missions on her own screen. Ever since they had found out the baby growing inside her was going to be a girl, he'd been anxious to give their unborn daughter a name. After much cajoling and liberal use of his kicked puppy look, Elizabeth had agreed to let him pick a name, with the caveat that she had final approval.

John had a file of baby names open on his laptop. The data had been downloaded for him by one of Carson's nurses. The woman was an avid reader whose "one personal item" from Earth when she'd come to Atlantis had been a digital device that held downloads of thousands of books on a variety of topics. Oddly enough, a baby name book had been among them and she had offered it to John and Elizabeth when news of their bun in the proverbial oven became common knowledge.

Having a very common name himself… Elizabeth's was as well, though not to the same degree… John wanted their child to have an original name. Just not oddly original. Teyla and Ronon had each suggested names from their cultures, but though his daughter would probably never go to Earth, John wanted her to have some ties to the world her parents had come from.

Elizabeth shot him a look, "No."

"Why not? It's pretty," he commented.

"It also sounds like a stripper name," she fairly growled at him.

John's mouth dropped open and he stared at her for a few minutes. "You do realize that of all the planets with different customs we've been to, there hasn't been a single one on which I've seen a strip club?"

"There better not have been."

" 'Lizabeth," he whined slightly. "There is no way anyone is going to make that connection in the Pegasus Galaxy."

"There are enough people from Earth in Atlantis that might." A hurt expression filled her face suddenly. "Did you know someone with that name, is that why you're lobbying so hard for it?"

"No!" he immediately retorted, shifting toward her to embrace her tenderly.

He'd become almost ridiculously gentle with her since they'd learned six months ago that they were going to be parents. John knew, of course, that she was not going to break if he hugged her, but the awe he felt over the fact that she was carrying a life they'd made together within her was overwhelming when he stopped to think about it.

There were times when he was afraid that he wouldn't be gentle enough when their child was here, in their arms instead of nestled inside Elizabeth's swollen belly. Both he and Elizabeth were a bit old for first time parents, and neither of them had much past experience with small children. But John knew despite his fears that they'd be fine once the baby came. They both already loved the little girl more than he would have believed possible. A close call with premature labor less than a month ago had shown them how much she meant to them. Which made the fact that they'd yet to pick a name for her all the more frustrating to him.

Once Elizabeth had relaxed, he eased back enough to look into her face.

"Did you have any suggestions?" he asked diplomatically despite her already having given him the honor of naming their child.

A small sigh escaped her. "No. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just being hormonal again."

John knows better than to laugh, but allows himself a smile and attempts to lighten the mood further. "How about Buttercup?"

Elizabeth laughs at the reference to the heroine of his favorite movie. "I don't think so, John. Imagine how much she would have been teased on Earth with people singing _Build Me Up Buttercup_ to her."

John made a face as the song played in his head. "Well, we've eliminated two more then."

"Mhmm," Elizabeth murmured, gently kissing his cheek before going back to her work, knowing his attention would be returning to the list of names.

"You know Zelenka suggested Meredith to annoy McKay," he remarked as he scrolled almost absently through several pages.

"It would probably backfire and just make his head even larger," Elizabeth responded. "As a good a friend as Rodney has been to us, if we were going to name our daughter after someone, it wouldn't be him."

"Agreed."

Minutes passed in silence, each of them focusing their attention on the computer screens in front of them… Elizabeth's on a special lapdesk Ronon had carved for her when he'd seen her having trouble with keeping her laptop where it belonged with her baby bump in the way. Then John made a thoughtful 'hmm' noise, a considering frown on his face.

"What?" Elizabeth prodded.

"I like the meaning of Nicole, 'Victory for the people'," he read to her.

"Nicole Sheppard," Elizabeth tested aloud. She smiled. "I like it."

John grunted. "Me too, but it's not all that original."

Elizabeth grabbed a notepad from her bedside table and scribbled quickly on it in her neat writing. She handed it to John. _Nycole Sheppard_, it read. A happy smile lit John's face, and he snatched the pad from her.

After crossing out the name and scribbling something else, he told her solemnly, "I've decided to name her after the woman who has influenced me more than anyone else with her bravery, intelligence, stubbornness and love."

Touched tears burn the back of Elizabeth's eyes as she glanced at the paper, fairly sure she knew what she was about to see.

_Nycole Elizabeth Sheppard_, the pad now read.

Elizabeth set her laptop aside and somewhat awkwardly straddled John's lap once he moved his, the firm swell of her tummy pressing against his abdomen.

"I love you," she told him very seriously.

John cupped her face in his hands and studied her before lightly brushing her lips with his. He did this occasionally, often before missions when she had the feeling he was memorizing her in case something happened to keep them apart.

"I love you, too," he finally replied, moving a hand down to palm her belly. "Both of you."

Elizabeth pulled back from a tender kiss, a disgruntled expression on her face. "Do you realize our daughter has the same initials as the Nintendo Entertainment System?"

John's laughter shook them both.

**End Glimpse 1**


	2. Baby's First

**Reading Key**: Thoughts and emphasis are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

"**Chapter" Summary**: Canon to FNM. Just a little drabble (not that it's intended to have any specific word count) that popped into my head. Place in the timeline: a bit less than 28 years before FNM, Nycole is several months old.

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**Glimpse 2: Baby's First…**

Elizabeth Weir grunted when she was woken from a dead sleep by the overhead lights turning on. With a tired grumble, she rolled slightly to the side to touch the control on her side of the bed. Though John could turn the lights on and off at will with the gene, she had to do it the old fashioned way. One of the engineers had installed the bedside switch when she'd been pregnant with Nycole so she wouldn't have to get out of bed every time she wanted to turn the lights on or off. She had no idea why John had turned them on… they both had the day off and Nycole hadn't cried so there was no reason to be up this early… but she was very grateful for the ability to turn them off so easily.

No sooner had she resettled herself comfortably then the lights came back on. Hissing her displeasure with a grumpy, "Knock it off, John," Elizabeth once more swatted the device that would return the room to its natural dark state. If he _had_ to be up, he could pick his way through the gloom of predawn without the artificial illumination.

When the lights turned on for the third time, Elizabeth only stopped herself from swearing by keeping in mind the fact that Nycole was asleep in her cradle a few feet away.

After once more turning off the lights, she whispered loudly, "Jonathan Sheppard, if you turn those lights on one more time without a very good reason, you are going to be sleeping on the couch in your office for a week!"

"Elizabeth?" John's voice came from the opposite direction she had expected as he exited the bathroom, the light off in the room behind him.

His hair was even messier than normal, and he looked as tired as she still felt. It was rather unlikely that he had been turning the lights on from in the bathroom. Before she could say anything, they once more came on.

"You didn't do that, did you?"

John shook his head, his eyes widening in worry. They both did a visual perusal of the room, looking for any sign of an intruder. There was nothing to indicate anyone had been there but them. Elizabeth watched as John leaned over the cradle to check on Nycole. He smiled lovingly and wiggled his fingers above the baby bed, telling Elizabeth without words that their daughter was awake.

When he straightened, a thoughtful frown came to his face and he walked to the bedside table, using the manual method to turn off the light. Within seconds, the lights were back on and a tiny cooing giggle sounded from Nycole's cradle. Her jaw dropping, Elizabeth got up from the bed and joined John in staring down at their offspring. Nycole smiled up at her parents, waving her little arms and pumping her chubby legs excitedly. John took on the look of concentration he had when he mentally willed the use of his gene, turning the lights off again. Nycole stilled for a second before the lights came back on, her animated movements resuming with the return of illumination.

John looked at Elizabeth, "I know we already knew she had the gene, but I really thought we'd get a first word and first step and a lot of other firsts before we saw the first time she used it."

Elizabeth laughed shortly and leaned in to pick Nycole up. She kissed the tiny girl's round cheek and traced a finger tenderly over her fuzzy head.

"With us as parents and Atlantis as her home," Elizabeth responded softly, "I don't think Nycole is going to do anything the normal way."

**End Glimpse 2**


	3. Breaking Off

**Reading Key**: Thoughts and emphasis are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

"**Chapter" Summary**: A short canon piece in connection with FNM. This takes place when Nycole is sixteen, about a year after Evan dies. Nycole has been living with Carson and Marion during that time, and Carson has tried raising her the way he's been raising Marion. It doesn't go so well.

Just a quick background note: Arkin is the leader of the Satedan part of Prizax's population. Prizax is the planet the Satedans, Athosians and Carson, Marion and Nycole live on.

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**Glimpse 3: Breaking Off**

"You need to stop running off everyday, Nycole," Carson Beckett said sternly. "When you finish with the chores I give you, there's always something you can help Marion with. You must stop running off to fight with the Satedans all the time."

"You can't tell me what to do," Nycole snapped, her voice rising with every word. "You're not my father."

Carson had been lecturing her for a good half hour, trying to make her see that there was no point to all the training and sparring she did. Why couldn't she be more like Marion and listen when he spoke? Be happy to stay in the settlement and take pride in everyday accomplishments? He supposed he had been too lenient in letting her maintain much of the schedule she'd kept when Evan Lorne had been alive after the other man had died. He should have made a more immediate effort to subdue her wilder ways. He was, quite frankly, afraid he'd never be able to tame her.

So he yelled back at her. "Neither was Lorne, but you listened…"

His words were cut off when Nycole slapped him, hard. Her teeth were clenched and showing, her breath hissing in angry bursts. She was nearly growling at him. Carson realized that maybe he had gone too far. No matter what he had thought of Lorne's approach to raising Nycole, the man had meant a great deal to the girl.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about him to me again," she bit out, her tone more than her words showing that she was indeed threatening him.

A moment later she was gone, exiting their tent through the side flap. Carson, his hand still touching the place where she'd struck him, turned his head to look at Marion. His daughter was sitting and staring at him in shock, her brown eyes wide. The mending she'd been working on was forgotten in her lap.

"You shouldn't have said that, Papa," she said eventually, her voice soft and sad. "Nycole loved Uncle Evan."

"I know, sweeting. But he's been gone for awhile now. She needs to move on and stop fighting me on everything."

Marion didn't respond to his words, a troubled expression on her face. A minute later she stood, rescued the mending from the floor when it fell, and then exited the home as well.

Carson left half an hour later to do his rounds in the Athosian settlement. When he got back, Marion was cooking dinner. Nycole was not there. And the area around her bed appeared a bit emptier than it should.

"Where's Nycole?" he asked his daughter.

Marion froze for a second before she resumed stirring the contents of the pot she was standing over. "She moved out. To the Satedan settlement."

With a heavy sigh, Carson left their home. A minute later, Marion was hurrying to catch up with him. She quietly told him she'd moved the food off the fire. Carson wisely didn't try to argue her into going back.

When they reached the area where the Satedan's homes were set up, log cabins and houses more sturdy and permanent than the Athosian tents, Arkin was waiting for them.

"She doesn't want to see you right now," the Satedan leader told Carson when the doctor stopped in front of him.

Carson stood as tall as he could, but it didn't make him any more intimidating nor did it make his height anywhere near that of Arkin. "Nycole is an Atlantean, she should be with Marion and I. And she's too young to live on her own."

Arkin shook his head, a sneer twisting his lips. "Atlantis is under Genii control, Doctor. Or had you forgotten why you've lived here the past ten years? We have all lost our home worlds and are now children of Prizax. Nycole has asked to train and live among us and we've agreed. She is over the age we Satedans recognize as the beginning of adulthood, as well as that of the Athosians."

"On Earth the age a young person is considered an adult is eighteen. Nycole is not yet seventeen."

"And as I understand it, Nycole has never been to Earth. Its laws hold no power over her." With that, Arkin turned away and began moving toward his home.

Carson had no idea if Nycole was staying with Arkin or in one of the larger buildings that housed the soldier ranks of the Satedans, so he moved to follow Arkin. Marion's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let her go, Papa." Marion smiled sadly, "Arkin's right. Nycole is no longer an Atlantean; she hasn't been since Uncle Evan died. This is where she belongs now."

Carson sighed heavily. "You're right. We lost her a long time ago."

**End Glimpse 3**


	4. Differences

**Reading Key**: Thoughts and emphasis are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

"**Chapter" Summary**: Missing scene from Glimpse 3: Breaking Off, starts from the point where Marion leaves the tent to go after Nycole.

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**Glimpse 4: Differences**

When Marion found her, Nycole was sitting in the clearing half a mile from their tent. It was the place where Nycole used to train with Evan Lorne when their lessons had still been hidden from Carson. Marion bit her lower lip in worry and sank to sit beside the slightly older girl. She didn't say anything to Nycole or even look directly at her, knowing from their years growing up together that Nycole wouldn't share until she was ready… if it even happened at all.

Nycole had internalized most of her feelings since they'd had to leave Atlantis nine years before, and it had gotten exponentially worse after Evan had been killed. There were some days Marion wondered if Nycole was going to simply implode one day… or maybe _ex_plode, probably at Carson. If that happened, it would make the slap Nycole had just given him look like a love tap.

There were times when Nycole scared her.

But Marion still loved the other girl. Outside of Carson, Nycole was all the family she had. And she still fondly remembered the happy little girl Nycole had been, running through the halls of Atlantis and showing Marion how to use the Gene they had both been born with to get into mischief they never really got punished for. Sometimes, when Nycole coaxed her into doing something outdoors more adventurous than a walk, Marion still saw glimpses of that girl.

Looking back, Marion thought she, Nycole and the other children had been allowed to get away with more things than they should have because their parents and the other adults that raised them had known that any day could be their last. They had to have wanted the children of Atlantis to have as much fun as they could in whatever time they were allowed. And for all but two of them, it had proven far too short a time.

How much more would losing Atlantis have effected Marion if she had been awake during the evacuation as Nycole had been? Nycole had never spoken about it, but Marion could imagine that it hadn't been as simple as walking to the jumper bay and leaving. Just how much had whatever Nycole had seen that night, on top of losing both her parents, been responsible for who Nycole had become?

"I'm not going to apologize to him," Nycole suddenly said, snapping Marion from her memories into the present. "I know he's your father and you love him… I love him, too, most of the time… but he doesn't see me."

Marion frowned, "What do you mean?"

The other teenager… older by a year and a few months chronologically but in some ways many years more mature… turned her head to look at Marion.

"When Carson looks at me, he wants to see another you. You're his daughter, and of course he should love you more, but it's more than that." Nycole frowned and reached over to brush a small bug off Marion's skirt that she hadn't noticed was crawling there. "You not only fit the mold of who he wants you to be, you thrive in it. He expects me to be able to, too. But I'm not…"

"Me," Marion finished for her. "We _are_ separate people."

But Nycole shook her head. "Not just that. I'm not… domestic, I guess. I'm no good at all the things that come so naturally to you. Cooking, sewing, being a comfort when he comes home. I'm too wild, too active. I don't want to assure him that his efforts to heal someone who was injured will help them recover faster; I want to talk about what could have been done to stop the injury from happening. I want to hunt, or act as a guard when a group goes off-world. I want to eventually be able to explore the galaxy like my father and Evan did."

Marion bit her lip. She'd known a lot of that, but had never heard Nycole talk like this about it. She knew Nycole had tried to be more like what Carson expected of her… she just never realized how much Nycole was chafing under the restraints. It was killing Nycole's spirit, and that was the one thing the other girl truly had left from who she had been. Maybe if she were freed from Carson's expectations, she would gain back more of what she'd lost when Evan had been killed. And Marion realized suddenly that Carson's mention of Evan must have been what had sparked the outburst of sharing from Nycole.

"You could move in with one of the Athosian families," she suggested after a quiet minute. "I know Holling has been lonely since Jinto married and moved into his own tent."

Nycole gave a sad half-smile and Marion knew she would refuse before she spoke. The Athosians were not the group Nycole identified with most… the Satedans were. Marion avoided the more rough-and-tumble group. Even as a child in Atlantis, she'd been slightly afraid of Ronon Dex… and she had known him all of her young life. None of the Satedans on Prizax had ever put much effort into getting to know her.

But Nycole had never been afraid. Even when they were younger and the Satedan children would intimidate the others during the breaks in their joint schooling sessions, Nycole had always stood up to them. Years later, a few of those boys had gone from picking fights with her to shooting her admiring glances. Not that Nycole noticed.

It wasn't often that Nycole thought of herself as a girl; she just… _was_. So when the other young females on Prizax had gotten to the age when gossip, boys and the eventual starting of families were the main topics of discussion, Nycole had broken off from their half of the adolescent social structure. Marion was the only one close to her own age that Nycole spent any real amount of time with. Living with someone like Holling, who though more accepting of the warrior's path than Carson was still likely to treat Nycole as more of a child than she was, wasn't what Nycole needed.

"Actually, Arkin invited me to join the Satedans a few months ago," Nycole said.

Marion nodded acknowledgment and sighed. "I guess you should tell Papa and pack your things."

"No." When Marion gave her a questioning look, Nycole explained, "I've calmed down, but we both know your father isn't going to just agree with this. We'd probably fight again, and I really don't want that. I'll just go and let him get used to the idea before I speak with him again."

Marion nodded acceptance of the plan. This was yet another way they were different. Even if she had decided to do something like this, she never would have just gone ahead and done it. She would have asked permission, and most likely ended up allowing her father to talk her out of it. This one time, for Nycole, Marion would make her father see that what he wanted wasn't what was best.

**End Glimpse 4**


	5. Overheard

**Reading Key**: Thoughts and emphasis are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

"**Chapter" Summary**: A piece canon to FNM. Carson, Marion, Evan and Nycole have been living on Prizax for four years. Evan has been keeping his training of Nycole a secret. Unfortunately, Carson finds out and confronts Evan about it.

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**Glimpse 5: Overheard**

Evan dodged the swing of Nycole's knife-wielding right hand and then grasped it to demonstrate how to shift the direction of an attack without losing too much momentum. He had been allowing her to carry a concealed, sharpened blade for a few weeks now, but her practice knife was dull enough that it would have trouble cutting through a baked tuber.

Although she was still small in stature and didn't have a lot of strength to put behind the various moves he'd taught her, Nycole made up for it with physical speed and quick thinking that had made it a necessity not to give her a dangerous weapon when they were working in such close proximity.

A gasp nearby startled them both into looking toward the path leading back to the settlement. They'd been caught. Carson was staring at them like he'd seen something truly horrifying. Nycole fidgeted under the stare, and Evan frowned sharply at the other man.

"You're teaching her to fight?" Carson asked incredulously.

His Scottish accent was thicker than usual, reflecting his negative thoughts on the subject… he had always been clear on what he thought of teaching the girls anything violent. Evan was often surprised at Carson's somewhat archaic views of the differences between the upbringing of boys and girls, especially considering who Marion's mother had been… then again, now that Evan thought about it, maybe Marion's mother and what had happened between she and Carson was a big part of why Carson felt that way. But no matter what Carson thought of Evan's choices in raising Nycole, in front of her was not the place to be discussing them.

"Nyc, go get ready for bed," he ordered kindly but firmly. "I'll be back to the tent in a few minutes."

Evan waited until the girl had scampered out of sight down the path toward camp before turning back to Carson.

"You don't think she'll need that knowledge?" Evan responded angrily. "This isn't Earth, Carson. It isn't even Atlantis. There is no way to know how long we will be safe here. I am going to do all I can to make sure she is prepared, that she has what it takes to survive as long as possible. And the next time you want to question my parenting methods, wait until Nycole is out of ear shot."

"Maybe I should be raising her and you can just concentrate on our safety," Carson said.

Evan stared at him with an expression that made Carson feel lower than dirt. "You won't take her from me," he said quietly. "Even if I didn't love her, which you better never even think about doubting, Nycole deserves better than being second best. You already have Marion, and even if you didn't, being a doctor would always come before someone else's child."

The former Air Force officer turned away from the doctor, but stopped walking when the Scot spoke again. "She isn't Elizabeth."

Evan spun back around, biting off one word. "What?"

Somewhere Carson Beckett suddenly found more spine than he'd ever shown before. "She's not Elizabeth. You shouldn't hold onto her just because of who her mother was. Elizabeth is gone and nothing will bring her back."

Evan shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

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When Evan had calmed enough so he was sure he wouldn't scare Nycole, he headed back to their tent, securing the flap behind him. He turned around to find the young girl sitting on his bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. She was wearing her father's jacket and holding her mother's pocket watch to her ear. Evan sucked in a breath.

Nycole wasn't crying, but for her this was just as bad, if not worse. Occasionally she would hold one or the other of the two objects in question when she was remembering or missing her parents… she wore John's jacket to bed when plagued by nightmares. But she only surrounded herself this way when she was truly hurting. Nycole hadn't actually cried since the night Atlantis had been lost. Evan wasn't sure he wanted to know what it would take to bring her to that point again.

Evan sat down next to Nycole and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She held herself stiffly but didn't try to wriggle free of his hold.

"What's wrong, Nyc?"

"Did you love my mom?" she asked quietly.

"You heard Carson?" When Nycole nodded in answer, Evan sighed and continued, "I did have feelings for your mother once, yes, but I never told her. She was very much in love with your father, who loved her just as much as she loved him, maybe more."

Nycole looked up at him with glassy eyes, and it cut him to know that he was the reason she was hurting right now.

"Is that why you say you love me? Just because of my mom?"

"Oh, kiddo," he said softly, pulling her onto his lap so he could hold her.

At eleven, she was getting a bit big for it, but he needed every advantage he could get to undo the damage Carson had unwittingly caused. Evan had been younger than his sister by several years and had never really had experience caring for a child… his nephews had been born when he was already part of the SGC so he'd only seen them a few times… leading him to be cautious and at times lost when dealing with Nycole. But he wouldn't trade the last few years for anything.

"No, Nyc," he assured with all the sincerity of tone he could muster. "I love you for you. You are smart and caring and beautiful and _so_ brave! You're the most special person I've ever known."

Nycole snuffled and looked up at him again. "Even more than anyone you knew on Earth?"

The sheer number of people on Earth had been something of a legend to the children of Atlantis, whose only experiences with planet-sized populations of people tended to be in the hundreds of thousands at most.

"Way more," Evan responded with a smile.

When she smiled brilliantly back at him, he leaned down the few inches necessary to press a light kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, Nyc," he said as he rocked them both slightly.

With a soft sigh, she curled against him. "Love you, too, Evan."

**End Glimpse 5**


	6. Escape from Atlantis

**Reading Key**: Thoughts and emphasis are in _italics_. Telepathic conversation is underlined.

"**Chapter" Summary**: Canon to FNM. Tells the story (from Nycole's perspective) of what happened the night the Genii overtook Atlantis. About 21 years before FNM but nine years in the future (confused?). Nycole is seven.

**Author's Note****:** I didn't realize until I was writing this that all the people (except Nycole) who escaped Atlantis had a first name ending in N. Hers starts with it, so I guess that's the excuse, heh.

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**Glimpse 6: Escape from Atlantis**

"Nycole, baby girl, wake up," the urgent voice of her father roused the seven year old from her sleep.

"S'amatter?" she slurred sleepily.

She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her blue-green eyes as John hurried around her room, shoving her favorite things and some clothes into a bag. She came wide-awake as she realized what was happening. Something had gone wrong and they were leaving Atlantis. Nycole and the other children had been taught evacuation drills since long before they knew what the phrase meant.

Nycole scrambled out of her bed and shoved her feet into the shoes she'd worn the day before, not bothering to undo the straps first. She grabbed her mother's pocket watch from the table beside her bed. Elizabeth always let Nycole bring it to bed when she couldn't be there to tuck her in.

"Where's your sweater?" John asked her.

"I think I left it in the mess," she answered in a small voice.

Her father didn't waste time berating her. Instead, he shrugged out of his uniform jacket, holding it up so she could slip her arms into the too-long sleeves. Once the warm garment was wrapped around her, he threw the bag of her stuff over his shoulder and scooped her up against him on his left side, holding his P-90 in his right hand.

"I can walk, Daddy," Nycole tried to be helpful.

John smiled tightly at her as he jogged to and out of her door, "I know, baby girl, but we might have to run and I don't want to accidentally leave you behind."

Ronon was in the hall waiting, moving into action to follow them when John didn't stop.

"Where's Mother?" Nycole whispered as they moved through the corridors quickly and quietly.

Her father's jaw tensed, and he answered, "She's in the control room."

Nycole knew from the way he didn't look at her when he said it that her mother would be staying in the control room and not joining them wherever they were headed.

"Where are we going?"

"The jumper bay," he said, then made a shushing noise.

They had reached a turn in the corridor, and he stopped before it and waved Ronon forward. The taller man peered carefully around the corner, his gun already aiming down the next stretch of hallway. After a few seconds he stepped out from the corner and motioned for John to follow with the hand not holding his weapon.

Nycole whimpered and buried her face in her father's neck as they ran down the hall. There were bodies on the floor. This was far from the first time Nycole had seen a dead person, but these were all people she knew, people who had known her since before she was born. People she saw every day. And there were so many of them.

She only glanced up again once they stopped running. A quick peek told her they had made it to the jumper bay. Carson was there holding a sleeping Marion. Evan Lorne and his team were also there. One of them had a bandage wrapped around his arm, stained red with blood.

"Take Nycole," John told Ronon, handing her over to the taller man without waiting for an answer. Ronon held her naturally… he was the closest thing she had to an uncle and had been a constant presence as she'd grown up…. as John turned to address the others gathered at the rear of one of the jumpers. "Doc, you up to flying?"

"I don't…"

John didn't let Carson finish, turning to Evan, "Lorne, I need you to pilot the jumper. Get them out of here and to the Alpha site. The rest of you with me."

"Sheppard," Ronon growled, "if Lorne's going with Carson and the kids, they don't need me. I can help you."

"I asked you when Nycole was a baby to be her godfather. I told you what it meant and you agreed. What I _need_ from you is to know that someone will be taking care of my daughter if I can't, protecting her with his life. Are you telling me you can't do that?"

"Of course I can."

John nodded sharply, "Then that's what I need you to do. Promise me you'll take care of her like she was yours."

Ronon stared at John for a moment.

"Promise me, Ronon," John demanded.

"I promise."

Her father's attention shifted back to Nycole. She could feel her bottom lip trembling as she tried to be a big girl and not cry over what was happening. John smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I love you, Nycole."

Then he was gone, running down the hall in the direction of the 'Gate room with Lorne's men a step behind him. Ronon climbed into the jumper after the others were inside. Setting Nycole on the bench seat in the back section, he stared out as the ramp closed. His hand tightened on the handle of his gun before he heaved a sigh and sat down. When Nycole leaned toward him, he growled quietly and tensed away from her. Nycole sank into her seat and tried to be as small as she could be. She couldn't see out the front window where she was, but she knew from the feel of their flight that they didn't leave through the 'gate.

x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x

"We should meet up with the Satedans and Athosians on Prizax _now_," Ronon was saying when Nycole woke up.

She must have fallen back asleep on the way to the Alpha site, because the jumper was powered down and Carson, Ronon and Evan were standing at the bottom of the open ramp in the early morning sun. They couldn't have been there too long, though, because only a few hours had passed when Nycole looked at her mother's watch.

"The evacuation plan has always been to wait a full day before moving to another planet," Carson said.

"And if someone gives the Genii our location?" Ronon asked angrily.

"No one on Atlantis would do that!" Carson shouted.

Nycole could tell from the look on Evan's face that even though he wasn't saying anything, he didn't really agree with Carson.

"Not everyone in Atlantis was trained to withstand torture," Ronon pointed out.

Nycole shrank slightly when Evan looked into the jumper and at her, the sadness clear on his face. After a minute, he sighed and nodded.

"Alright," he told Ronon, "we'll go to Prizax. If anyone else makes it out of Atlantis, sooner or later they'll look for us there."

Ronon nodded once and walked away after murmuring something to the other two men. Carson came into the jumper first and went passed Nycole to check on Marion, who was still sleeping. Evan entered a little slower, stopping next to Nycole.

"Would you like to come sit up front with me?" he asked quietly.

Nycole nodded and took the hand Evan offered her. She hopped off the seat and went with him to the front, peering with wide eyes at all the controls. Her father had let her sit up front with him more than once, but only when it was just the two of them. She felt more grown up being allowed to sit in the co-pilot seat when there were other adults on the ship.

After a few minutes, Ronon came back and closed the back ramp. He sat across from where Carson was sitting with Marion on his lap, and Evan started the jumper, pressing the symbols on the console that would activate the 'gate and allow them to travel to Prizax.

x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x FNM:G x

Evan landed the jumper at the end of the Athosian settlement furthest from the 'gate. Halling and a couple of the other Athosian leaders came to the ship, and Evan and Ronon went out to talk to them after Ronon told Nycole to stay in the jumper with Carson and Marion. After a few minutes, Carson stood and held out a hand to her. She took it and followed as he led them to a nearby cooking fire. He asked the woman there for food for she and Marion. Nycole only ate a few bites of what she was given; her tummy felt funny.

She kept her head turned toward the other adults from Atlantis, her eyes widening when Ronon and Evan got into an argument. She drew her knees up in front of her and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Nycole couldn't hear their words, but they were gesturing angrily and Evan's face was red. Ronon turned away after a few minutes. With his hand on his gun handle, he starting walking very fast in the direction of the 'gate.

Evan watched him go with his hands making fists. For a minute Nycole thought he was going to run after Ronon and hit him. Instead, Evan shook his head and turned toward the fire she was seated next to. Nycole lifted her head to watch him approach. He stood so that he was in between she and the others around the fire.

"Ronon's not coming back, is he?" she asked.

"I don't think he is," Evan replied.

Nycole nodded and set her chin back on her knees. She could feel that Evan had continued to watch her, and after a few minutes, she turned to look at him.

"He was going to teach me to fight," she informed him. "Could you teach me?"

Evan looked a bit surprised but nodded, "One of the Satedan or Athosian families would probably take you in if that's what you want. But if you'd prefer it… I'd like to raise you. I'll teach you everything I can."

Nycole's throat felt like it was closing when she fully realized that she would never see her parents again, but she found her voice enough to concede, "Okay."

Her new guardian moved closer, standing over her awkwardly. Evan had always been nice to her, but he had spent less time with her and the rest of the children than some of the other adults. Nycole tried to make it easier on him and raised her arms, allowing him to lift her against him. Once he had settled her on his hip and she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, Evan walked to the jumper. Tomorrow one of the Athosian tents would be their new home, but for tonight they would spend one last night housed by Ancient technology.

**End Glimpse 6**


End file.
